Human thermoregulation during prolonged exposure to warm and extremely humid environments expected to occur in disabled submarine scenarios

Military and civilian emergency situations often involve prolonged exposures to warm and very humid environments. We tested the hypothesis that increases in core temperature and body fluid losses during prolonged exposure to warm and very humid environments are dependent on dry bulb temperature. On three occasions, 15 healthy males (23 ± 3 yr) sat in 32.1 ± 0.1°C, 33.1 ± 0.2°C, or 35.0 ± 0.1°C and 95 ± 2% relative humidity normobaric environments for 8 h. Core temperature (telemetry pill) and percent change in body weight, an index of changes in total body water occurring secondary to sweat loss, were measured every hour. Linear regression models were fit to core temperature (over the final 4 h) and percent changes in body weight (over the entire 8 h) for each subject. These equations were used to predict core temperature and percent changes in body weight for up to 24 h. At the end of the 8-h exposure, core temperature was higher in 35°C (38.2 ± 0.4°C, P < 0.01) compared with 32°C (37.2 ± 0.2°C) and 33°C (37.5 ± 0.2°C). At this time, percent changes in body weight were greater in 35°C (−1.9 ± 0.5%) compared with 32°C (−1.4 ± 0.3%, P < 0.01) but not 33°C (−1.6 ± 0.6%, P = 0.17). At 24 h, predicted core temperature was higher in 35°C (39.2 ± 1.4°C, P < 0.01) compared with 32°C (37.6 ± 0.9°C) and 33°C (37.5 ± 0.9°C), and predicted percent changes in body weight were greater in 35°C (−6.1 ± 2.4%) compared with 32°C (−4.6 ± 1.5%, P = 0.04) but not 33°C (−5.3 ± 2.0%, P = 0.43). Prolonged exposure to 35°C, but not 32°C or 33°C, dry bulb temperatures and high humidity is uncompensable heat stress, which exacerbates body fluid losses.

Temporal relationships of blood pressure, heart rate, baroreflex function, and body temperature change over a hibernation bout in Syrian hamsters

Hibernating mammals undergo torpor during which blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), metabolic rate, and core temperature (TC) dramatically decrease, conserving energy. While the cardiovascular system remains functional, temporal changes in BP, HR, and baroreceptor-HR reflex sensitivity (BRS) over complete hibernation bouts and their relation to TC are unknown. We implanted BP/temperature telemetry transmitters into Syrian hamsters to test three hypotheses: H-1) BP, HR, and BRS decrease concurrently during entry into hibernation and increase concurrently during arousal; H-2) these changes occur before changes in TC; and H-3) the pattern of changes is consistent over successive bouts. We found: 1) upon hibernation entry, BP and HR declined before TC and BRS, suggesting baroreflex control of HR continues to regulate BP as the BP set point decreases; 2) during the later phase of entry, BRS decreased rapidly whereas BP and TC fell gradually, suggesting the importance of TC in further BP declines; 3) during torpor, BP slowly increased (but remained relatively low) without changes in HR or BRS or increased TC, suggesting minimal baroreflex or temperature influence; 4) during arousal, increased TC and BRS significantly lagged increases in BP and HR, consistent with establishment of tissue perfusion before increased TC/metabolism; and 5) the temporal pattern of these changes was similar over successive bouts in all hamsters. These results negate H-1, support H-2 with respect to BP and HR, support H-3, and indicate that the baroreflex contributes to cardiovascular regulation over a hibernation bout, albeit operating in a fundamentally different manner during entry vs. arousal.

Roosting and thermoregulatory behaviour of male Gould's long-eared bats, Nyctophilus gouldi: energetic benefits of thermally unstable tree roosts

Information about the thermal biology of bats in relation to their roosting behaviour is scant. I used temperature telemetry to locate roosts and record the thermoregulatory behaviour of male long-eared bats, Nyctophilus gouldi (9 g), during late spring in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. Bats roosted under bark and in tree cavities, where they typically experienced wide daily fluctuations in ambient temperature (Ta). On 13 out of 16 days, bats employed two torpor bouts per day, during the early morning and late afternoon, coinciding with times of low Ta. Heating of roosts during the day resulted in up to 20°C of passive re-warming before active arousal and provided high Ta around midday when bats were normothermic. By switching between torpor and normothermic thermoregulation according to the daily Ta cycle, male N. gouldi appear to gain an energetic advantage from choosing poorly insulated and often sun-exposed roosts.